New owner,First thread, warn me please.


L

Lorenzo

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 28, 2008
626
U.S.A.
Hello from nebraska.
I just joined the owners club and want to say that i really appreciate all the effort so many of you have put into this forum.

Haveing been on other forums i will say that it became apparent right away that the enthusiast on this sight are an absolute pleasure to converse with and obtain information from.

My car is an 06 VIN # ending in 0189 Red with all 4 options and 811 miles on the clock. The previous owner has passed on from an illness and i have become the new custodian.

I am sure that in the future, as i get to know the car and it's heritage i will have more reasons to converse but for today i have one question.

What can you warn me about in terms of things like "Dont bump your head on the door, Dont pull up to the curb too close, Little things like that might keep me from learning a costly lesson even things about the engine like letting it warm up before any spirited driving, ect... ect...

Any thing would be appreciated.

Thank ya kindly!!
Lorenzo
 
BE CAREFUL IN THE COLD WEATHER! Many of people that have driven these things thousands of miles have crashed them in the cold. The tires become hard and get very slick in sub 50 degree weather.

WELCOME TO THE GROUP. Sorry to hear of the previous owners passing.....
 
Don't make the mistake of accidentally starting off in 3rd gear instead of 1st. One or two episodes of this and you can easily kill a clutch. Make sure the lever is in 1st before you engage the clutch.

Shifting into 2nd can be tricky. When cold the best thing to do is just skip 2nd and shift from 1st directly to 3rd for the first few miles to let the gearbox warm up. Also, even when warm, a slight pause in neutral between 1st and 2nd will assure a quiet shift with no gear "grind".

I generally stay under 2500 rpm until the water temp is up to the 180 range.

These cars are deceptively fast, you can get in over your head very easily without realizing you are really going that fast. Basically, the faster you go, the better the car drives, so just take your time and get used to the speed potential of the car.
 
I agree with all of DWRs suggestions also. The "dont take off in third gear" is very important
 
Getting the car into reverse while cold is also difficult and can take a little extra effort. Let the car warm until the temp needle has moved. I find getting into reverse is then a little easier.

BTW congratulations for not only acquiring one of the worlds most awesome cars but picking it in its fastest color....RED. :thumbsup
 
After any spirited driving, when you've parked, pop open the engine clamshell to assist in allowing the standing hot air to escape.

Give yourself LOTS of space when parking, the doors open REALLY wide.

Be prepared for gas fill ups to take 20 minutes (only because of all the questions and compliments you'll have to field) :wink

And congratulations on your Ford GT! Welcome!! I'll be the first to ask for the obligatory pics!! :cheers
 
Don't use the parking brake after washing the car and putting it back in the garage... (wet rotors + parking brake + time = pads stuck to rotors and hence no vehicle movement.... yeah, I know, I wouldn't have believed it either 'til it happened to my GT)

Welcome to the club.

mardyn
 
Superfly: Good points.

Watch those doors! Even when parking parallel to curbs open the doors slowly and if your passenger is on the sidewalk side get out and open the door yourself to make sure the bottom of the door clears the ground/curb/sidewalk or you will scrape the bottom edge :ack. Remember the car is LOW to begin with and more so when you do a lowering kit.

FYI re: gas fill ups. You need to use your ignition key in the keyhole on the passenger side, turn the key and pull the lever. Guys who didn't read their entire manual before going to the gas station (like moi) will spend a good 15 minutes at least scratching their head and muttering WTF before they figure it out!
 
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Heed the advice from the Forum and make use of the search feature as there is mucho archived information. Both are invaluable.

Congratulations :cheers and watch out for BONY.
 
Oh, the other bit of good advice is to start planning your garage and garage lift upgrade right now since you'll soon fall in with everyone else here (myself included) in wanting a 2nd GT!!! :thumbsup
 
If you "store" the girl for long, cold spells, remember to start it and let it run for a while to keep a charge on the battery or use the power port charger that comes wit the car. I left ine for about a month last winter and it was dead, doors not opening with remote, and tough to open with the key.

Enjoy your girl, they are awesome machines.
 
Be very careful who you let work on or service your vehicle. Most Ford dealers have seen little to none of these cars. It's worth it to have a forum sponsor work on the car, even if you have to ship it to them. Mistakes can be costly. There are some great folks on the board to help you.
 
donnymac said:
watch out for BONY.
Click to expand...

I warned him, wished him a happy new year and sent a go big red...
did I miss anything??:lol:thumbsup:lol

Covered every inch of that state, and there is new track there that is really
well done by an engine builder friend of mine.:wink
 
And................. Don't let anyone else drive your GT !

unless it's GTJOEY ............... he's O.K. :thumbsup



--
 
don't drive it unless you want to be noticed and talked to when you get out.
 
-Have Ford dealer run service/warranty print out; fluids & if axle-bolt recall was done
-Use trickle charger till your first 3, 50mi/1hr drive...b/w transport/sitting could need it
-Practice driving; literally go to big parking lot; do some short drives on deserted roads
-Practice left turns: the A pillar blocks view and major blind spot over left shoulder
-Warm up engine to 180 on guage; 7-10 mins
-Warm up tires; even in summer/fall: 10/30min
-Warm up tranny; 2nd gear hard-in; 15mins
-Use A/C to engage high-speed fans for Radiator cool-down, over 240
-Never punch it unless tires are warm; even then have enough room for full spin
-Take a High Performance Drive class at Skip Barber, Bondurant, etc
-GT is like a plane: needs pre-flight check, steady/progressive power surge, and calculated glide path in turns/stops.

All your senses will be at use, all else is tuned out, and overall effect is a rush.

Also, drive every weekend.
 
The grind.

Don't worry about the minor grind when shifting into 2nd gear when your car is cold. Most of us shift from 1st to 3rd until our GT is warmed up. It will then shift quietly from 1st to 2nd. Welcome to the club.

As an aside, my mom grew up in Nebraska City and two of my nephews (my mom's sister's sons) were third generation Cornhusker football players (the only two 3rd gen. players I might add). Their names are Budge Porter and Scott Porter. Their dad, Mort Porter, and their grandfather Grovener Porter, both played football for Nebraska. I look forward to meeting you.

Chip
 
After changing the motor oil, build up oil pressure before you start the car by depressing the accelerator all the way to the floor and hitting the start button for 2-3 seconds at a time. Let the starter cool off 2-3 seconds before doing it again. By depressing the accelerator to the floor the car cannot be started (GT500 is the same). You will be surprised how much time it takes to circulate the oil.

I follow the same procedure when the car is cold but it takes much less time to build pressure.

If only this feature was available when I was in high school. "Sorry the car won't start, I guess we're stuck here for awhile..."
 
B O N Y said:
I warned him, wished him a happy new year and sent a go big red...
did I miss anything??:lol:thumbsup:lol

Covered every inch of that state, and there is new track there that is really
well done by an engine builder friend of mine.:wink
Click to expand...

BONY, you run a tight ship and that is appreciated by all. From my short time here, I'd say you ride herd with the best of them.:thumbsup

And from a pion Texas owner going broke at $40/barrel, you have my gratitude. :wink
 
New Owner ---Warning

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Welcome, you have now been warned!

This is the best site on the web-net.

The boys and girls that use this playground are some of the nicest folks on the face of the earth. And that's an understatement.

Plan your day carefully from now on, as this place is addictive. No GT question that you may have, will be considered insignificant.

As was mentioned on a earlier post, the search button will help you find out darn near anything you may want or need to know. And maybe a few things you didn't want to know.

The GT Forum reeks with love and appreciation for these special cars, the guys and gal that designed and built them, and for those of us that are fortunate enough to own one. Or two or three or more of them.

Hope to meet you one day soon.

I know you'll have a Great New Year, more so after the snow is gone, of course.
 
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